Magnetron oscillator and detector



Feb. 14, 1939.

H. GuTToN ET A1. 2,147,159

MAGNETRON OSCILLATOR AND DETECTOR Filed April l5, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS HENQ/ GUTTON AND BY bgg/N BER/.INE

ATTORNEY.

' H. pTToN ET AL 2,147,159

MAGNETRON OSCILLATOR AND DETECTOR Feb. 14, 1939.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 15, 193s l@ @2 @j 0| g 2.5-i W 5 i2# 75 Urfa lull 1 INVENTORS HENRI GUTTON AND llli-*lllllll [Patented Feb. i4, 1939 y meNs'moN oscnnaroa am nmc'roa nenn Gatten ma sylmnnerlme,

Paris, France,

-assignors tojoomltnie Generale deTeie- I graphic Sans Fil, a corporation of France Appuesuonapru 15., 193s; serial In Germany No. zoals: spruit, 1927 (mm. (ci. :so-ss) Fig. 12 shows in a detailed" manner a pre- 'Ihe present invention concerns a device for producing continuous voscillations of ultra-short wave length; say, or the order of a centimeter.

It is known in the'art that where such ex-` 'l tremely short waves are dealt with the interelectrode capacitances in generator or oscillator.

tubes tend to neutralize the potential differences,

' and thus preclude all attempts to maintain and sustain the oscillations.- It 'has heretofore been 10 necessary on this ground to use tubes of reduced dimensions and it has been diillcult to realize suiilciently large powers even with multiple electrodes comprising several elements connected in parallel. Now, according to the invention the adverse eii'ect of inter-electrode capacitance is eliminated `by oscillatorycircuits or electrodes in the form of twin conductors which are fed-not in their middie as-has heretofore been the general practice, N but at the ends furthest removed one -from the other.

It -is thus feasible to useA systems comprising ectrodes having rather large proportions in contrast'to the wave lengths that are used.

Incorporatedmore particularly in a magnetron, the invention. permits of reducing the intensity ofv the magnetic field whilelowering the anode potential.v Furthermore, it is possible to increase the electrode areas, as well as the number of anode segments.

In the case oi' oscillator tubes having a high potential gridand a retarding field electrode, and more generally speaking in oscillator, amplier, or detector circuit organizations working 35 with very short Waves, the present invention voil'ers similar advantages.

The-invention will be better understood from the following detailed description thereof by reference to the appended drawings wherein- 40 Figure -l illustrates a tuned circuit arrangement connected to the anode 'segments of a magnetron discharge tube according to our inventlon; Figs. 2, 3 and 4 show in perspective and in 45 section a novel structure to which the electrodes of the magnetron discharge tube may beconv formed in carrying'outour invention;

Fig. shows a modified 'arrangement of the..

' electrodes within the magnetron discharge tube;

60 FlgjG is a schematic circuit arrangement which' in explaining Vthe theory of operais referred to tion; Fig. 7 shows a preferredcircuit arrangement including a paraboloidal reilector .in association 55. with a directive antenna;

Figs. 8, `9 and 10 are referred to hereinafter for demonstrating the basic theory of our inven- -----tion;`

. Fig. 11 a circuit arrangement which 00 stm further illustrates the theory; and

i'erred form oi' construction and embodiment' of a magnetron discharge tubei'according to our invention.

, Our invention aims to be a contribution to the art oi' operating a magnetron for producing or detecting ultra-short waves. Such art is, for instance, of the kind described by E. G. Linder in Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers, April, 1936,- pp. '633 et seq. The known magnetrons comprise essentially a double-split anode consisting of two cylindrical shells A1 and Az surrounding a cathode and placed within a magneticil'eld which is parallel to the latter. Suitable end vplates are provided which serve to correct the; distribution of the electric eld. a

Referring to Fig. 1, it 'will vbe noted that thek positive potential which is impressed upon the anodes by the .bridge P and two Lecher wires FiF: feedsthese anodes in the middle, in line with an arrangement which has been customarily used inthe past.

With a view to diminishingthe wavelength, the anode is split into four segments A1. A1', Az,- 'Az' which are connected inparallel by the resonant loops D1Dz with the Lecher wires FlFn.

Also'in this case the lanode segments are connected inthe middle through the bridge P with the positive terminal of the anode potential source.

Figs. 2, 3 vand 4'show in perspective andf'in section the anode oi' a' magnetron designed in accordance with this invention. 'I'his anode comprises'two similar elements, each of the latter consisting of a terminaldisk or ring R1 and Re, respectively, being at right angles to the axis of lament C and supporting at rightv angles a certain number of cylindrical segments S1 and Sa respectively, and being parallel to the latter` The two anode elements A1 andi A2 are mounted opposite each ot er at the two ends of the lament C in such a Iway that their segments overlap. Each of the s'aid two anode elements consists of .four segments. though it will be understood that any other convenient number could be chosen. The free endof each of the segments, as shown in the drawings, stops (oris cut o)- a little distance in front of the terminal ring of the other anode element, thoughit is possible to extend the same beyond the latter, as shall later be shown..

According to the invention, and contra-distinct to the arrangements known in the prior art, the two elements are fed with D. C. potential by the Lecher wires F1 and F2, not in the center ot their cylindrical segments, but rather at one of their terminal ends and at respectively `,opposite points, to befmore precise, in a practical arrangement by way of the annular plates R1 and Rn which In a more schematic-way, presupposing for 5 a very simplified manner as'in Fig. 5.

Referring to Fig. 5, there are simply' shown at A1B1 and AzBa two of the anode elementsof a magnetron, while R1 and Rzdenote their ter-r minalrings, F1. F2, the Lecher wires, and P the bridge which connects them with the source of positive potential, the other terminal thereof being united with the cathode C.

For the sake of simpliflcatlon of the illustration, the magnetic eld parallel to cathode C has not been indicated.` However, by' dash lines an alternator is schematically indicated to denote the E. M. F. of the ultra-high frequency which is set up across the elements of the magnetron by the very operation of the latter.

The essential action and4 fact which constitutes the object of the present invention is that such a magnetron when fed at its two opposed ends is adapted to generate stable oscillations of a frequency far higher and far more powerful than where the anode elements `are fed in their middles.

This magnetron may work, for instance, *upon-l an antenna alas, and this antenna may consist either of extensions of the very Lecher wires FlFz (Fig. 6) or else of a clip or loop F'1F2 being in inductive coupling relation with the said Lecher wires (Fig. '7), in line with schemes well known in the earlier art.

For the sake of argument, there are further indicated in Fig. '1, at A, the bulb or vessel of the magnetron, and at E a reflecting screen being, for instance, of paraboloidal form designed to impart directivity to the pencil or beam of energy which is radiated off, as also known in 40 the art. I

moreparticularly that ythe tube oscillates under stable conditions and generates a large volumev of energy at a yvell defined wave length which is a function of the dimensions and of the spacing apart of the anode elements, while yet being independent'of the position of the bridge piece P disposed between the Lecher wires. By shifting the bridge only the amount 'of energy fed intov explainableby asimple calculation tobe outlined ,by way ofzex'ample in what follows.

- 'Io make these calculations the assumption is .made as 'representedrin Fig. 8 that a.l source of E. M. F. of high frequency of this form ma? An double une at as two opposite en 70 Starting with the equation lof propagation in the line' y f" .H L'

' 2 sx at .,5 and introducing me communaut un man. n' is With arrangements" of this kind it is noted arcaico a being a function of the inductance and of the capacity of the line, c being the specific capacity per unit of length of the line, and L the length A1B1=A2Bz- For the sake of simplication there has been neglected in this formula the damping due to the resistances of the circuits. It shows that the current I is always in quadrature relation to the potential U. Hence, the circuit behaves like a capacity when the amplitude of the current sin 0 cos 9+@ sin 0 is positive, and like an inductance when I is negative. The graph showing I as a function of I? zeau,

is shown in Fig. 10.

For a given line, L and' a are dened, and w varies as 0. When the frequency is low, this current diminishes, passes a minimum .value for 0=2.3, then grows indenitely for cotan 9=0, in other words, for o 2.82, because the attenuation has been assumed to be zero. For this value, the current reverses its phase, and the line behaves like a series resonance circuit or resonant circuit.

For 0=1r current I becomes zero and the impedance of the line infinitely high so that the circuit then behaves like an anti-resonant (or parallel resonance) circuit.v a

If the frequency continues to grow values of S in infinite number are found again for which` cotan o (for all of these values the amplitude of the current will become infinitely large), and others also infinite in number for which 0=k1r (the amplitude of the current then becoming zero, with the line presenting infinite impedance).

Taking the origin O of the coordinates to be in the middle of the line, and denoting by :c the abscissa of point M1 on the axis directed along Ox, the diierence of potential between two points opposite M1, M2 of the line vwill be given by the equation 'I'he amplitude of the potential difference at each point is thus a function of the abscissa and is expressible by cos 0+@ sin 0 cos a For =0, that is to say, in the middle of the circuit, thls amplitude will reach a maximum magnitude.

Fig. 9 represents 'the value Vin-Vm along the line. Y

For L For 0= -cotan 0, that is to say, in the presence i f 70 crest amplitudes arise at the two ends A1 and B1.

of resonance, the amplitude of the pd would be-y infinite, if the above assumption be made upon the steady or constant electric eld, an RFv Hence, it will be seen here that for the two values 0= cotan 0 and 0=kf the capacity be.

tween the electrodes disappears in the formulae..

Fol-,the va1ue a=lc1|l in particular the capacity between the electrodes does notarise or occur atall; and it is this very tact, as pointed out above. which makes it feasible to maintain ultra-short ,waves with the aid of circuits presenting comparatively large dimensions.

AA circuit of the kind which is represented in Fig. 11 where the outputs are not disposed at the ends of the line, but rather at any desired points A1, A2 at all which are symmetric in reference to center c thereof, would moreover present similar properties.

We have ascertained that it is fairly feasible to maintain oscillations under definite conditions both as regards the magnetic ield and potential. With all reservations, we venture to advance the following as a plausible explanation:

Assuming an electron having been issued from the space charge which surrounds the filament, and if the assumption be made that the magnetic field reaches the blocking value, this electron will, over a fairly long trajectory or path, stay,

tangent to the anode circumference. Its speed will then be:

where e the charge of the electrdn, m its mass.4

and V the D. C. anode potential.

The electron will successively ily past each anode plate, and the length of this trajectory between the middles of two consecutive plates will be:

1i 1 2nv where d the diameter of the anode cylinder.

Without entering into details vof the calculation, it may be held that if there is superposed eld between two consecutive plates, then the electron, by virtue of such speed as it may have r' acquired, may be gathered or captured by the plate at the lowest potential. At that instant it will yield power to the externall circuit.

This condition is realized if the duration of the trajectory is near, but less than a half-`period. Satisfactory oscillation conditions are` obtained for Fora given anode diameter. for a given number of electrons, and a deiinite anode potential, the length of the c. w. will then be well dened. On the other hand, the magnetic eld has a value which corresponds tothe inilow (arrival) of elec; trons tangentially tothe anode. This-value is called the blocking field oi' the magnetron for potential V. Its value is resonance of the circuit, it iS @und in'practice that a c. w. of well denned frequency will bemaintained,'while all other frequencies, both low-I er. and higher will not be maintained.

Fig. 12 shows in a detailed manner a form of a discharge tube having a construction and embodiment of a magnetron ac` cording to this invention. By way of example, there shall hereinbelow be ,cited the characteristic data of two magnetrons (arbitrarily called 1 and 2) designed in accordance with the present invention. For the sake of comparison, the corresponding data of a magnetron of the type suggested by E. G. Linder have been indicated, this magnetron comprising an anode divided into two segments in their middle, with terminal plates adapted and designed for correction of the electric eld.

This tabulation clearly shows the advantages 'inherent in magnetrons as here disclosed. It will, more particularly, be seen that for a higher frequency the magnetic field and the requisite potential are far lower. Further, the number of the anode segments may be chosen greater Without any diiliculties by virtue of their being mounted upon a disk.

Although this invention has been described more particularly in reference to magnetrons, it must be understood, as already pointed out above, that it applies equally to retarding-eld or oscillating electron types of tubes, or. more broadly speaking, to all ultra-short wave oscillater, amplifier, and detector tubes.

We claim:

1. A magnetron oscillato? system comprising centrally disposed linear cathode and-a-plurality of cylindrically formed anode segments coaxially surrounding said cathode, two end plates lying in planes perpendicular to. the cathode axis, one half the number of anode segments being connected to one of said end plates, the other half of said anode segments being connected to the other end plate, a resonant circuit interconnecting the end plates, and a source of operating potentials connected to the cathode and to a point of symmetry on said resonant circuit.

2. A system according-to claim 1 and having an antenna coupled through a Lecher wire trans- .mission line to said resonant circuit.

.3. An ultra-short wave circuit arrangement comprising a magnetron discharge tube having a centrally disposed linear cathode and surrounding cylindrically formed anode segmentsl a resonant circuit comprising a Lecher-wire system one of the conductors of which Aterminates in a liiange interconnecting certain of said anode segments at one end thereof, the other of said conductors terminating in a second ange which interconnects the remainder of said anode segments. all of 'the anode segments being inter'- posed between the planes of the two said anges, and an operatingpotential source connected between the cathode and a point of symmetry on said resonant circuit. v

4. An arrangement according to claim 3 and further characterized in the anode segments connected to'one flange are interleaved with the,

anode segments connected to the other flange.

f "nENRrGU'i-ronl SYLVAIN :mannen- 

